This invention relates to rear compartment storage for sport utility vehicles, minivans, vans, automobiles, trucks and the like.
The rear cargo area of many vehicles provides a large volume of space that is used to haul luggage, groceries, sporting equipment and the like. While a large volume of space is advantageous with some types of cargo, more effective space utilization could be achieved by compartmentalizing the available space. Space below the load floor of the vehicle is generally not usable for day-to-day storage. The sub-cargo floor storage of spare tires which is known, however the cargo floor covering a spare tire is not designed for ease of removal.
The storage space in the rear of vehicles is difficult to fully utilize. The large volume of space above the floor of the storage space is difficult to access making it inconvenient to store and retrieve objects. Much of the space above the load floor is not useable unless the objects stored are stacked on other objects.
Load carrying carts may be used to transport objects. The prior art does not disclose or suggest the concept of providing a manually operated cart or load moving device that can be easily stored in the rear storage area of a sport utility vehicle or minivan. A collapsible multipurpose cart that can be set up for use in transporting cargo to and from the vehicle is not known to be available in the prior art.
These and other problems and disadvantages relating to prior art storage systems are addressed by the present invention.
According to the present invention, a vehicle storage system is provided for a vehicle storage compartment that defines a space for storing a variety of different articles. The storage compartment may include a load floor formed in one or more sections. The system includes providing a collapsible cart that is received on the load floor that includes tracks for guiding movement of the collapsible cart into and out of the rear storage area. The collapsible cart has a plurality of wheels connected to a frame that is convertible between a collapsed position and an expanded position.
According to another aspect of the invention, a vehicle storage system is provided for a vehicle storage compartment that defines specialized storage compartments for storing a variety of articles. A load floor formed in one or more sections is provided that covers a vehicle storage compartment including a storage well. A tray is contained in the storage well and has a plurality of compartments. A pivot connection between the storage well and the tray permits the tray to rotate within the well to facilitate access to any of the compartments.
According to another aspect of the invention, a vehicle storage system is provided in which a vehicle storage compartment defines a space for storing a variety of different articles and has a load floor that is formed in one or more sections. A frame formed of vertically oriented support rails, horizontal lateral rails and horizontal longitudinal rails is adapted to receive one or more storage modules either on the load floor or supported above the load floor on the frame. The storage module may be a collapsible cart, a removable tray, a bin, a dolly, a step ladder, or a portable seat.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will be better understood in view of the attached drawings and following detailed description of various embodiments of the invention.